Beware of the Populist

Beware of the Populist
By Richard Orlick

This is not popularity it is populism, and they are as different as good and evil. Populism dates back to Rome, the Populares Party has been considered the origin of both socialism and Populism, the populares, “People's Party.” Populism is often considered a major factor in the downfall of the great Roman Empire and should be considered one of the most destructive forces in politics. The Populist Party in the US, originally the People's Party was established in 1891 and in 1896, the Populists gained control of the Democratic Party in turn became part of the Progressive Movement, Fabian Socialism. What makes populism different from popularity seems to be the exploitation of economic and social interests. This goes beyond a pure democracy in to more of a “Mob Rule,” or unchecked popular power, this only leads to social instability and was never successful throughout history. Populism often leads to abuse, we see politicians play their role as champion of a greater cause, but in reality they are fighting their own personal struggle for power. Nazism had its roots in Populism, as did many other failed democracies.

Thankfully, the framers of our US Constitution placed our form of government to the right of a pure democracy and “Mob Rule.” James Madison said, “Such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.” This should be the dividing line between left and right, with those on the right supporting the original intent of our Constitution, The Tea Party to Conservatives are and must be anti “Mob Rule” and anti- Populism. Most certainly, those so named Republicans that do not support our Constitution need to be flushed out because everyone needs to be on the same side of the fence on this. Thanks to the culmination of compromise and bipartisanship, our government has grown beyond its original scope, and now unpopular and drastic cuts need to be made. The fundamental argument from the Populist opinion is that liberty and capitalism is wrought with corruption and unscrupulous people. Therefore, government must step in and intervene, often giving the power to unscrupulous politicians and more corruption, a fallacious argument. Lord Acton astutely noted human nature, “Absolutely power corrupts and power corrupts absolutely.” The argument the leftist Populist use is what can be done, it is a crises, and this is apocalyptic thus shifting the argument from should anything be done to close the eyes to the burden of those actions. This shifting of the narrative toward the Populist opinion is so powerful in human nature reason is often dismissed as a conspiracy theory and fear mongering. Those that use this response are nothing more then useful idiots that ignore historical facts, human nature and natural law.

Populism comes in many flavors, at times it may be hard to tell what flavor but it is predominantly one color and that is more government, left. Benito Mussolini used the Ministry of Popular Culture, a version of the politically correct police that release news broadcasts and newspaper stories glorifying the Populism of Mussolini. Lyndon B. Johnson used his sympathy for the 1891 Populist Party to push for The Great Society. The New Deal and the ACLU were often described as Populist. The French Revolution was a Populist Revolt and Marx studied the history of the French Revolution resulting in the use of Populism in Marxism. Populism unlike class warfare attempts to take a broader swath of “The People” against “The Privileged” and both as shown throughout history to be involved with some sort of demagoguery, scapegoating, and conspiracism. We hear it all the time from the left, blame Bush, well the Republicans did, the Tea Party is a bunch of racists and so on, but this is not to say the left are all the same as Mussolini yet they seem to live in the same house. The People's Republic of China, here we are again with a “People's” Party in their Great Leap Forward used the Populism of productive force determinism, the Populism of a Communist utopia and more than 20 million people died. Luis Echeverría Álvarez Mexican president used the Populist rhetoric of social change and economic progress and became the first former Mexican president to be placed under arrest on charges of genocide. This is not some easily dismissed conspiracy theory but a fact that Populism wherever it is found thought history is usually bad and the opposite policy of the Tea Party and Conservatives. You may also find the demagoguery from the left accusing the Tea Party as a Populist movement, it only applies to the RINOs we are trying to remove.